Stop Why Because
by SerendipityAEY
Summary: Obi-Wan/Siri vignette. An exercise in punctuation/romance. Three little moments from the lives of Siri and Obi expressed in grammatical glory.


_I don't know where the idea for this came from, it just appeared in my head and had to be let out. I even wrote and posted it in one day! That has never happened before. I sort of made it into a writing exercise, using each word in each part on its own, each time with different meaning (expressed by different punctuation). Stop wondering, I don't know why I did this, just because. It's a bit cute, a bit romantic, and just a bit sad. I hope you enjoy._

_Please, please, please review! Thanks for reading!_

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><p>Blue clashed on violet, a fury of movement, too fast for the average person to follow. But there weren't any average people here. There were only two Jedi, locked in faux combat.<p>

Obi-Wan spun, feinting an attack at her left, then swinging his saber around to her right. She was only just able to block it and he realized her stamina was fading. He felt his own could be close behind, but he wasn't going to admit that to her. Time to end it.

Feinting another blow to the left side of her body, he pressed his advantage as she moved to defend against him. Sensing the weakness in her stance, he kicked his foot forward, hooking it around her calf and pulling her leg out from under her.

Siri fell hard, her lightsaber clattering to the floor and rolling out of reach. Coming down to kneel above her, he pinned her wrists to the floor by her head. "Concede." He grinned at her.

Her answering glare was unmistakable and she struggled against his grip.

Before she could raise her knee to exploit the opportunity his current position above her provided, he lowered his weight to his forearms. His body stretched out along the length of hers, only inches apart.

She wriggled again, and he let his weight drop even more, his chest, his hips, his legs now pressing firmly into her.

"Stop!"

Her eyes widened and her meaning was clear, but he was enjoying this too much to give her the satisfaction of bending to her will. "Concede," he repeated himself.

Her features stayed impassive but he recognized the flicker of light in her pale blue eyes. Maybe she was enjoying this as much as he was. "No," she argued. "Get off me."

"Why?"

Her lips pursed together as she stared at him. And then she was moving underneath him again, but it wasn't the frantic scramble for escape. It was slow, measured, purposeful motions. Her hips rocked up into his, and he closed his eyes centering himself in the Force.

Her hips rocked again, and he was up and off her in the blink of an eye. Siri sat up, crawling toward her lightsaber and Obi-Wan turned around, taking a deep breath.

"I win," Siri announced happily.

"No -" Obi-Wan began, facing her again.

"It's not my problem you can't control your feelings. Guess you need a bit more practice." She clipped her saber to her belt and folded her arms across her chest.

"Same time tomorrow, then?" he asked, grinning at her.

"I don't think so," she said.

"Oh, why not?" his manner was teasing. She might be cross, but her smile told him she didn't really mean it.

"Because."

The punctuation in her voice was unquestionable. They both knew why. And then she was gone, but that was alright. Maybe not tomorrow, but maybe the day after that. He suspected he might need a bit of time to himself, anyway.

* * *

><p>His fingertips tickled down the sides of her torso - soft, sure strokes reverently tracing the natural curves of her body for his own pleasure, and lighter touches circling over her most sensitive spots, meant solely to incite pleasure for her.<p>

She squirmed beneath his steady hands, and he paused in his ministrations to glance up at her, searching for an indication of whether he was to continue or not.

"Stop?"

Sighing, her fingers moved to run through his hair, making it stick up in unruly spikes, and she smiled at him. "More," she breathed.

His touches grew firmer, more demanding, and now each long caress was punctuated with a brush of his lips across her smooth skin. The blanket was caught around her hips, tangled with her legs, and he wanted nothing more than to strip it away and prove his intentions to her, but he resisted.

Moments like this were meant to be taken slowly, meant to be savored.

Pressing his hands against the bed on either side of her body, he lifted himself, the muscles in his arms bunching under his own weight and laid down beside her, gathering her in a warm embrace.

The Force buzzed between them, sentient and thriving as he pressed his bearded cheek against her softer one. Affection, desire, content all seemed to swirl in the air around them, comforting and soothing as she caught his impassioned blue gaze with her own.

"Why..."

He sighed. "It's too much," he murmured, nuzzling the slope of her neck. "I'm tired. And I think we're both afforded one night of peace. Tomorrow we'll be fighting again."

With her arms wrapped around him now, her hands had found their own assignment, moving across the planes of his back, tracing invisible patterns with the tips of her fingers. She studied him for a few long quiet moments. "Why me?" she asked.

"Because!"

His answer was compulsory; he did not hesitate to figure out if she was teasing or not. It didn't matter. He was as sure of this as he had ever been about anything. "It will always be you, Siri. There's only you."

And his point was made with a senuous, emboldened kiss.

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><p>Time was beginning to slow, stretching out in front of her in a long pathway to some unknown destination. She had a nagging suspicion it had something do do with the way she could feel her pulse beginning to slow, her heart restricting in her chest.<p>

"Stop."

Had she not been in so much pain, felt so numb, she would've laughed at the way Obi-Wan reacted immediately to her punctuated command. At least, even dying, she was still able to get her point across to him.

Though his concentration in the Force had been broken, he didn't remove his hand from her forehead. "I won't give up."

"I can't -" she grimaced, trying to shift to something, anything more comfortable than this and his other hand fell to her shoulder to still her, sending waves of comfort through the Force. "I'm cold."

She watched as his gaze flicked to their transport, only meters away. And his eyes hardened, a plan surely forming in his determined mind. It would't work. It wouldn't be enough. The medical supplies on the transport, the medcenter on the ship, the healers, even if they were only hours away. She felt her irritation starting to grow. What did he think he would be able to do? What was the purpose of prolonging this?

"Why?"

He ignored the agitation in her question. Frustrated, she furrowed her brow at him, but it was no use. Instead, she tried to focus on his features, wanting to memorize them, but she felt weak now. The air seemed hazy, though she wasn't sure if it was because of the smoke, or because her senses were beginning to fail.

Nodding to Anakin, Obi-Wan gathered her in his arms, effortlessly, and began to head for their transport. "Because..."

"Because?"

He cradled her gently to his chest, and she relished the heat that radiated from his body. "I won't give up on you," he said. "I understand the extent of the injury, but there's still a chance I can do something. I won't give up."

The transport was already starting to lift, and his face was the picture of determination as he laid her down. Stroking her hair, he brought his face down close to hers and held her gaze. She couldn't have closed her eyes if she wanted.

"I love you," his voice was soft, and warm.

"I love you, too." The words fell from her lips easier that she had ever imagined they would.

Maybe... He secured a breath mask over her nose and mouth, and clean, pure oxygen filled her lungs even as she felt a distinct prick on her arm and her pain began to ebb, if only a little.

Maybe... if anyone could save her, maybe Obi-Wan could...

His declared love gave her new purpose and she pulled on the Force wrapping it around her, letting it seep through her and into her, letting it give her strength to draw from. Her heart was still beating, and as long as it was, there was still a chance. She would fight, fight for each moment. Not because of him, but because of his love. Because it was something worth fighting for.


End file.
